もったいない (mottainai)

"もったいない" : Although it is useful, leaving as it is or wasting is regrettable.

何という浪費だろう; もったいない. What a waste!捨ててしまうのはもったいない. It's a pity to waste it.捨てるのはもったいない It is a waste to throw it away.君はもったいない金の使い方をする You have a wasteful way of spending money.

Please correct the following sentences.

/* 2012/08/05 No.1718-1767 */ This company has trade surplus. I'll quit in this company. He has the loyalty to his boss. I'll pursue my dream. I commute by train when going to school. This miss was absurd. His insult makes her angry. It is difficult for people to make ends meet. He talks about her behind her back. On the contrary! My boss is an ideal parson. I'm fed up by his being rude. He works hard in boss presence. I pour water in my cup.

Leaving out "the" or "his" before "boss" will not affect your listener's understanding of the sentence, but it sounds a bit strange. Also, "'s" must be added at the end of "boss" to indicate possession -- the "presence" is his. You may also see it written without the third "s" (as "boss'") because three of the same letter looks strange. I think either way is generally accepted.

Words that end in "s" are difficult to make possessive sometimes, but they are not very common. Often they are names, such as "Miles" or "Jules". When saying them out loud, we should say the third "s", though in the case of names, English-speakers often may not. For example, you would always say "the boss's presence" -- "boss's" having 2 syllables, but alternatively you may hear "Jules' car" -- where "Jules'" is one syllable, when really, it should be "Jules's" -- 2 syllables. I hope that makes sense! It's something that confuses natural English-speakers as well.